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Rating: THE REVIEW
No matter how gifted one might be with fervent sonic inventiveness or how willing one is to take risks, it seems evident to me that when you start to manipulate material derived from melodic thrash/death (preferably from the Scandinavian hinterlands) and position yourself within the metal-core or at least that cauldron dubbed the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal (even if you’re actually of European origin, German to be precise), you should be aware of the risks you are taking.
The Deadlock, with "Wolves," reach the milestone of their second album, after their debut "Earth. Revolt" in 2005, know this well and attempt to play the (partial) surprise card. Much like what happened with black metal when it was overdone, they too, in this context, add gothic and electronic/decadent elements to differentiate themselves. Although the innovation is not radical and the tracks do not engage in a particularly stimulating creative process, the eleven songs develop a good impact, they are catchy without being too banal (even if the more melodic parts of the guitars suffer from quite a bit of naivety) and they make good use of Sabine Weniger’s vocal skills, to the point that I would recommend they eliminate the brutal male vocals to make complete room for the female ones.
Perhaps the risk would be ending up too close to the early Evanescence, but the overall result would benefit.
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Summary by Bot
Deadlock’s second album Wolves incorporates melodic thrash with metal-core, adding gothic and electronic elements for distinction. While not radically innovative, the songs maintain good impact and catchiness. Sabine Weniger’s female vocals stand out, suggesting the band might benefit from reducing harsh male vocals. The album balances familiarity and freshness, though it risks veering close to styles like early Evanescence.Tracklist Videos
